imagine a kingdom
by onecupoftae
Summary: "Haven't you ever imagined yourself as a prince?" — Taekook. Royal AU.


**Summary:** "Haven't you ever imagined yourself as a prince?" — Taekook.

**A/N:** Written for the House of Crowns: A BTS Princes&Swords Zine! This was translated into Vietnamese by _jellycat_ (JF_cat on twitter).

* * *

Imagine A Kingdom

* * *

Eyes closed, Jungkook listens to the city. It speaks to him in the way cars rush by, a low rumble of traffic passing through the heart of Korea on large urban roads. It whispers secrets to him channeled into the flashing of muted yellow street lights. It hums in tunes of starlit wishes, bringing out the dreams of citizens who live beneath the darkened sky, who want to feel _alive_.

Nighttime in Seoul is fairly quiet, but the melodies of city-life are there, if he listens carefully.

In the bedroom of a tall apartment building, two boys sit on the floor. Jungkook focuses on the rise and fall of his own breathing as he waits for Taehyung to speak.

"Now imagine," Taehyung murmurs, deep in concentration, "far from the city, far away from here: a grand kingdom that stretches across hundreds of acres of land. Just beyond the kingdom walls will be a forest full of wildlife and exotic animals. Inside, there is a busy marketplace for merchants to exchange goods and host events for every season of the year."

In Jungkook's mind, he lets go of Seoul and constructs a vision just like the one Taehyung describes. He pictures something halfway between medieval and modern, a world they could have lived in if they had been born hundreds of years in the past.

"There will be ballroom dances with high-class people attending from all over the nation and a training ground for knights out in the fields," Taehyung continues, a smile in his voice and a song in his excited movements. "And at the very center: a prince in a castle fit for royalty—me."

At this, Jungkook's eyes open in surprise. "You?"

"Yeah," Taehyung says, shrugging. "Haven't you ever imagined yourself as a prince?"

Furrowing his eyebrows, Jungkook frowns slightly. The concept itself is so intrinsic to Taehyung's personality that Jungkook doesn't think he could ever have crafted a scenario remotely close to this even if he tried.

But he goes along with it, as he always does when Taehyung comes up with one of his perplexing ideas. And later, when Taehyung has fallen asleep after exhausting his imagination, Jungkook openly stares at the way his bangs rest just above his eyes, how the shadows kiss along the curves of his face. He combs his fingers through Taehyung's hair and thinks, _This is a boy who deserves to be a prince._

So Jungkook quietly rummages through one of the bedside table's drawers to look for his art supplies. He dips a paintbrush in a newly purchased bottle of ink, waves it out in front of him in the open air, and begins to create a world with the colours of royalty.

.

Taehyung wakes up in a bed much larger than he remembers his to be. The sheets wrapped around him are impossibly soft as he feels himself sinking deeper into the warmth of the mattress. When he turns to face the other side, he sees Jungkook in bed beside him, streaks of sunlight filtering through the window in a way that makes his hair glow.

"Good morning, my prince," Jungkook says, smiling.

"What is all this?" Taehyung asks, finally sitting up and taking in the room around him. There are drapes along all four corners of the room and a mirror on the wall opposite to him, framed in gold. From the ceiling, a chandelier hangs down just above their heads, sparkling as if someone had gathered stardust and collected it inside.

"A castle fit for royalty," Jungkook echoes back his words from the night before. "What do you think?"

In his half-asleep state, Taehyung can only stare with his mouth open. Glancing down at himself, he reaches to feel the fabric of his clothes. The nightgown that hangs off his shoulders is made of silk, smooth to the touch and soft like cotton. It's coloured red with floral patterns all over, and wearing it makes Taehyung feel more like he belongs in the middle of all this elegant furniture and extravagant decorative pieces. It makes him feel like _royalty_.

Almost as if Jungkook can see the anticipation radiating off Taehyung, he pushes the blanket away to get up. "Want to explore the rest of the castle?"

"Yes!" Taehyung jumps to his feet with childlike enthusiasm, rushing toward the exit. He pushes open the plywood doors and the first step he takes out of the bedroom feels like the start of something grand. The floors are decorated with carpet, cushioning his toes, and he hops from one foot to the other in excitement.

Jungkook leads him past a couple of rooms, down candle-lit halls with flames that flicker in greeting as they walk by. They peek inside every room, Taehyung taking in the layout of each one with endless amazement. Eventually, they stop in front of the last door, and Jungkook extends an arm out like a tour guide. "Your dressing room."

Before Taehyung can process everything, the door swings open. The carpet leads straight down the center with rows of cabinets and hangers lined up on both sides. He runs his hand through some of the fabric, feeling the material under his fingertips, and wonders just how expensive these must cost.

"Are they all for me?" he asks in bewilderment. There are garments for every occasion, every season of the year.

"Of course," Jungkook answers easily. "Which outfit would you like to wear today?"

Still somewhat astonished, Taehyung goes through the options and picks up a navy blue suit accompanied with dark pants. He holds it out against himself to get a better look and turns to Jungkook for a second opinion. "How is it?"

Jungkook nods in the direction of the changing room at the back. "See for yourself."

Stepping inside, Taehyung slips out of his nightgown and pulls on the pants followed by the suit, tugging at the sleeves so that they fall just past his wrists. Decorated with tassels, the epaulettes add a weight to his shoulders he's not accustomed to yet, but the gold fringe at the ends is one of his favourite things about this outfit.

In front of the mirror, Taehyung angles his body so that he has a better view of himself. The frilled cravat on his chest makes him look sophisticated, as though he's ready to rule an entire kingdom, and he leaves the changing room feeling like he could actually take on this role. Like he's really, truly a prince.

Jungkook has also changed, now wearing a black suit that's similar in style to Taehyung's blue one. He nods approvingly when he sees Taehyung's new attire. Handing him a pair of dark leather boots to complete the outfit, Jungkook waits for him to put it on before guiding him outside.

"Are you ready for the best part?"

.

The castle's courtyard is shaped like a square, with fresh grass in the middle bordered by a path of concrete. There are four small fountains spraying water at each corner. Taehyung blinks like he's still walking in a dream, seeing this for the first time and just barely processing it all, while Jungkook picks up two swords from the stand by the entrance.

They stop at the very center of the courtyard, a meter apart from each other. Jungkook throws one of the swords at him, heavy and forged of real metal. "En garde."

Taehyung barely manages to catch it before placing himself in a fighting stance, feet spread shoulder-width apart and blade pointed at Jungkook. He curls his fingers around the hilt to familiarize himself with the feeling, measures the weight of it in his hands, and levels his gaze at his opponent.

They spar. Neither of them has any training in swordsmanship but their weapons clash nonetheless. Circling around each other, they thrust their blades out in rhythm to the echoes of their footsteps, a waltz performed in tempo to the setting sun behind them. Up above, the sky sings a tune in hues of deep indigo, so captivating that the universe itself seems to hold its breath to listen.

Jungkook strikes forward at Taehyung's chest and Taehyung strikes back at Jungkook's arm and it's less about winning the match than it is about living—in the modern era, in the medieval era, in the moment.

With a cry, Taehyung pivots and slashes following the momentum of his movement, exhilaration radiating off his body in waves. Jungkook responds with a side step and an attack of his own that misses its target by mere chance. Hearts pounding, the two of them pause to regain their footing. On their faces, there is laughter in their eyes, the smallest hint of a smile skirting across their lips.

They continue like this until they are both breathing hard, and even then, they do not stop. Under the light of the moon and stars, in a kingdom crafted by the bristles of love for a boy who is not quite royalty but a prince all the same, they dance.

.

When their match ends and their swords are finally put away, the two of them collapse on the grass out of pure exhaustion. They lie there, arms and legs spread out, gazing up at the sky in silence until they both catch their breaths.

Taehyung turns his head to face Jungkook, smiling despite the throbbing of his muscles. It's the good kind of ache, the kind only experienced after an intense workout. "That wasn't bad for our first time sparring, right?"

Jungkook hums in agreement. "Half of it was instinct. The other half was trusting the blade to follow through with your commands."

If Taehyung had heard that anytime before today, he would've rolled his eyes at the overly poetic explanation. But now—now, he thinks he knows exactly what Jungkook means because it really did feel like their voices had poured out of their swords every time they clashed earlier.

Sitting up, he leans back on his hands and admires the view around him. There's the castle that surrounds the courtyard, made of wood and stone and everything his imagination could've possibly conjured. They had walked past a stable earlier with horses the colour of moonlight and loyal-black. Off to the side, the road leads to the marketplace, where merchants come to exchange goods.

"Is all this real?" he asks, still half-mystified that he's _here_.

Jungkook hides secrets deep within his eyes when he glances at Taehyung. "Do you want it to be?"

Taehyung thinks about waking up in soft, silk robes and bedrooms with chandeliers hanging down from the ceiling. He thinks of hallways illuminated by candle-light and an entire wardrobe just for him, inside this castle fit for royalty. He thinks of two swords communicating with each other in a courtyard under the watchful gaze of stars and the answer should be easy, should be obvious—

"No," he whispers, and with each beat of his heart, he hears the word ring true.

Jungkook looks at him knowingly. "Do you want to go back home?"

_Home. _Because even though this kingdom is everything Taehyung has ever dreamed of and more, it isn't home.

Home, where he laughs at silly cartoons with Jungkook, who is over at his apartment so often that he practically lives in the guest room. Where they mess around in their friends' studio, both of them playing different instruments hilariously bad as their voices come together in the form of a makeshift duet, creating music somewhere along the way. Where he can imagine kingdoms and embody royalty and watch Jungkook construct entire universes with a paintbrush dipped in ink, bringing his wildest fantasies to life.

Home, where it all started. And where, naturally, it should end too.

"I think so," he decides, and something deep inside him acknowledges that this is the right choice. A smile spreads across his face. "Let's go home."

"Then allow me to steal a kiss from you before we leave, my prince," Jungkook whispers, reaching out to hold Taehyung's face in his hands. "Just this once, and it will be enough for a lifetime."

So, Taehyung lets Jungkook close the distance between them as a gentle breeze swirls by, echoing the rhythms of his heartbeat. When their lips touch, the scenery around them begins to dissolve, bleeding away like paint being washed off a canvas. The ground beneath their feet breaks apart and the sky over their heads collapses in on itself and Taehyung's eyes flutter shut to the feeling of Jungkook's body pressed against his.

It's almost like they're suspended in the air as the rest of the world chips away. When they finally break apart, he only opens his eyes when he feels hard wood under him and the familiar sounds of Seoul traffic in the distance. Looking around now, he sees that everything in his bedroom is just as it used to be.

"Welcome back, my prince," Jungkook greets him once again. There's a gleam in his eyes as he bends down to bow dramatically, deep and low.

Taehyung only shakes his head, laughing in disbelief. Out of everything he had in the royal palace, he can wholeheartedly say that he's glad to have Jungkook as a constant in both the medieval and modern eras.

He glances back and forth between the two of them now and thinks that right here, in this moment, is where they truly belong—wearing plain T-shirts and jeans in a room that isn't overwhelmingly extravagant.

Not in the past or future, but in the present.


End file.
